When I first heard about the boy who stole a school bus and rescued over 300 people after Hurricane Katrina, I was fascinated. In my high school English classroom after school, I searched the internet and learned the driver, Jabbar Gibson, had been jailed for selling drugs. But then I uncovered a San Francisco Chronicle article about a second driver, Courtney Miles, who’d moved to Oakland to play basketball – at a junior college very near the home of a friend I’d already planned to visit the following week. I hadn’t been to California in twenty years, but I’d soon be only an hour away from Courtney. It was a sign. I had to find him. His was a story I wanted to tell.

I’d just started writing seriously, and I had very little confidence in my abilities. Was I crazy to think a white female 50-year-old school teacher could be the voice of an 18-year-old black man? I’d never written a book before. And a basketball story? NBA to me meant National Book Award. I emailed his coach, asking if he’d give my contact information to Courtney. I told myself I’d drop the whole subject if I didn’t hear back from him.

The coach replied -- and sent me Courtney’s phone number. My heart raced as I stepped outside my classroom and dialed. The soft Cajun voice on the other end of the line was understandably cautious, but Courtney agreed to meet me at McDonald’s in Oakland. That conversation was the first of many (mostly after his practices so at midnight my time) that would one day become a book.

From Courtney, I learned a lot about humility. His buddy Jabbar had received national media attention when his was the first bus to pull into the Astrodome in Houston after he and Courtney got separated on the road. (Courtney dropped his passengers at the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA and returned for a second group.) Jabbar was in talks with Spike Lee about a movie deal, but Courtney kept quiet about his role in the bus rescue. He’d seen Bush’s “no tolerance” speech on the Jumbotron from his cot in the Cajundome while waiting for a FEMA trailer. And with an absentee father and a mother who’d been in jail for most of his growing-up years, he’d promised himself he’d “stay straight.”

But more importantly, he didn’t feel like a hero. “It could have been anybody,” he told me, “but God chose me. He gave me a way to help, and I’m blessed I had a way to pay back all the people who helped raise me.”

It was true – the people of the Fischer projects, who knew that “Streets,” as he was called, was raising himself, stepped up. When his grandmother left before dawn each morning for her housekeeping job at a big New Orleans hotel, they watched from porches to make sure he went to school. On weekends, the neighborhood men offered tips as he honed his skills at Fox Park’s netless goal. Courtney’s first tattoo was the word “Fischer” etched across his stomach, and he always chose jersey number “15” for the 15th Ward, his Orleans Parish home.

His life there taught him resilience, another trait I witnessed. At age seven he woke up with a gun in his face on Christmas Eve because his mother owed the wrong people money. At thirteen he saw a man killed directly in front of him in a quiet alley – by a shooter he thought for a heart-stopping moment was aiming at him. In 11th grade he lived alone for months without electricity or water. His grandmother, laid off from work, had moved in with his uncles in Lafayette. Because he didn’t want to lose his ball team and his chance at a college education, he told her he was living with a cousin, but that fell through, so he broke into an abandoned house. His friends, who knew he’d be sent to foster care if the school found out, piled their food on his plate at lunch. He showered at the gym after practice and ignored the gang members who offered him rides and food on the walk “home.” At night he dressed in layers of clothing to keep warm, sometimes watching his breath condense above him as he tried to sleep.

Two years later when I met him, things hadn’t changed much for Courtney. Because his basketball scholarship in California didn’t cover room and board, he still struggled to find food and shelter. There were months when kind friends from school and church took him in, and weeks when homeless shelters were his only option.

But his faith remains strong. It’s another of Courtney’s lessons for me. No matter what his trials, I’ve never heard him complain – and he talks to God like he’s talking to a friend. “My grandmother taught me to be ‘prayed up.’” Courtney says he thanks God every morning for giving him another day. He carries with him the names of fourteen friends who’ve died in gun battles in the New Orleans area – his “Rest in Peace list,” he calls it. “I try to live my life for them because they didn’t have a chance to do the things I get to do.”

Courtney and I spent a lot of time together, peeling apart the layers of his past. He wanted to introduce me to “Miz Gerry,” the grandmother whose wisdom guided his life even when she couldn’t be there. But the day we met in New Orleans to retrace the bus route, I learned that her grandson, Courtney’s 18-year-old cousin, had been murdered the night before. He warned me that it might be dangerous to spend time with him that day.

“Are you involved in the argument that caused the shooting?” I asked.

“No, it’s just your company, who you hang around with and stuff. It’s not always you. Because of my cousin, I’m already in it.”

The idea of being drawn into a gang war is as old as Shakespeare, but it was my first close-up view of how things worked in Courtney’s world. It took a visual of the dilapidated building where he went to school, the shabby, run-down project apartments where he lived, and the depressed neighborhood he grew up in to make me understand. In an environment where the poor stay poor because of failing schools, lack of employment, and easy access to drugs, many young people made poor choices – and some paid with their lives.

I’m glad I met Courtney. He reaffirmed what I already knew about the people of New Orleans. Despite post-Katrina reports that called them looters and rapists and murderers, they are kind, warm, hard-working people – men who call you “baby” and walk an extra block to show you the restaurant you’re looking for. Women who speak to you on the street and ask, “How’s ya mama?” in broad river brogues. They are true originals. When I was in town for a wedding just two weeks before the storm came, I saw a man walking down St. Philip Street with a cup of coffee – wearing nothing but a bathrobe (open) and penny loafers.

I pray that Courtney can keep his humility, faith, and resilience. I hope he can “stay straight.” The odds are against him. Statistics are not in his favor. But he has flexibility and resourcefulness on his side. He told the mud-caked people from the Ninth Ward, who squeezed into an already jam-packed bus, to “get in where you fit in,” and that’s his life motto. It’s an attitude many of the former residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast embraced when over 350,000 of them lost their homes.

Several months after the storm, as a temporary Red Cross phone volunteer, I spoke with a woman whose mother and aunt, both widowed early, had lived across the street from each other in Waveland, Mississippi for over a thirty years. She told me they were sharing a small motel room, and their town had been wiped off the map. They’d lost everything – including their way of life. Today my heart goes out to those who have, for ten years, battled depression, fear, anger, and nightmares that still continue. May they find some measure of peace on this important anniversary of the storm that changed their lives forever.

1. How does the other boys’ treatment of Courtney indicate he's a leader?

2. Why was Courtney calmer about the post-flood problems than most people?

3. Is their anger over water bottles dropped from planes justified? Why or why not?

4. What health dangers did the people of Fischer Projects face?

5. Why couldn’t the people walk out of the city?

Chapter 5 – The Key to Escape

1.What is the median called in New Orleans? Why? Are there regional names for things in your city a visitor might not understand?

2. List three obstacles to the stealing of the bus that might have stopped someone less determined.

Journal Writing

Write about a time when you tried to accomplish something that was difficult. What were the obstacles that stood in your way and how did you overcome them?

Chapter 6 – Drive

1. Discuss possible multiple meanings of the title of the chapter.

2. What do we learn that complicates Courtney’s decision to take the bus?

3. As they drive out of the lot, Courtney admits he never really thought they’d find buses with keys and gas. Why did he go to the bus lot anyway?

Journal Writing

Write about a time something happened that you hoped for but didn’t really expect.

Chapter 7 – Loaded

1. Why did the people of Fischer project feel the government had abandoned them?

2. Where does Algiers, Louisiana’s name come from?

3. Besides the lack of funds for transportation and shelter, list two other reasons the people of Fischer didn’t evacuate before the hurricane.

Chapter 8 – Roadblock

1. What memory is triggered by passing his old elementary school? Why is thisimportant to the story?

2. Why is it ironic that his mother’s drug money keeps him healthy?

3. Courtney relies on instinct, doing what he feels is right even more often than what he thinks is right. Can you think of a time when you relied on instinct to make an important decision? Did it work out well? Why or why not?

4. What was Courtney’s plan for the passengers on his bus as they pulled onto the Westbank Expressway and headed out of town?

Journal Writing

Reread the author’s description of Courtney’s fear as he drives away from the police roadblock. Write about a time when you were afraid, paying special attention to your description of how fear feels to you. Include physical reactions as well as emotional ones.

Chapter 9 - To Lafayette

1. What metaphor is used to describe the landscape?

2. List two similes used to describe the randomness of the devastation. How is the second one extended into the next sentence?

3. What flashback is triggered by Courtney’s concern for people left homeless by the storm?

4. What fantasy does Courtney indulge in while living alone in the empty house?

5. Why does his Grandmother say his mom stops calling him? Do you agree and how do you feel about it?

Journal Writing

About his mother, the author says, “Courtney loved her and wanted her to be happy. But he didn’t know how to help her.” Write a journal about a time when you wanted to help someone but had trouble finding a way.

Chapter 10 - Ninth Ward Survivors

1. Why are the Ninth Ward victims’ stories so different from the stories of the Algiers people?

2. List some of the substances that contaminated the flood waters, posing health risks to the residents forced to flee in them.

3. Why were numbers of dead painted on houses with spray paint?

4. What were some of the problems faced by police officers after the storm?

5. What rumor fueled cries of racism by residents of flooded areas? What two factors influenced the rumor’s spread?

6. How did some reporters treat stories about white and black victims differently?

7. Many New Orleans victims were offended at being called refugees? Why?

8. Why does Courtney feel lonely on the bus?

9. What are some of the things he worries about while driving? Which do you think are the most valid concerns?

Journal Writing

Write about a time when you felt lonely.

Chapter 11 – Promises to Keep

1. Why does Courtney park on the side street at the Cajundome?

2. Why does Courtney step forward to answer the man’s questions?

3. Why does he walk to the front of the line when they first arrive?

4. What two sports similes are used in this chapter?

5. Describe Grandma Streets’ reaction to Courtney’s story? What does this say about her?

6. Why does he go with his Dad to the football game after hiding at his Grandmother’s?

7. What poem do the titles of Chapter 10 and 11 come from? What promises does Courtney set out to keep at the end of Chapter 10?

Journal Writing

Write about a time when you had to tell a parent, relative, or friend about something you’d done that might get you in trouble. How did you break the news and what was the reaction?

Chapter 12 – Miles to Go Before I Sleep

1. What do we learn about Courtney’s mom? Describe the two sides of her Gemini personality. What factors might contribute to the “rages” that came over her?

2. How does Courtney try to justify her behavior?

3. What does Courtney do to try to help his mother?

4. How did Hurricane Katrina hurt Courtney’s chance to pursue his dreams?

5. In your opinion, why do the two National Guardsmen allow Courtney to drive back into the city when they’re under orders to keep people out.

Journal Writing

Write about a time when someone you loved or respected disappointed you.

Chapter 13 – The Cajundome

1. What do Courtney and Tom learn about the fate of the people on the second bus?

2. What were conditions like in the Cajundome?

Journal Writing

Write about a time when your living conditions were not what you expected. How did you cope with the situation?

Chapter 14 – FEMA Trailer

1. Describe the FEMA trailer Courtney and his grandmother are given as temporary housing. What is their reaction to their living conditions?

2. What does Courtney’s grandmother plan to try to get back to normal?

3. Courtney realizes as he goes to enroll at Northside that he will never see many of his friends again. If you knew you might not see your friends tomorrow, what things would you want to do and say today?

4. Describe Coach Moore. What techniques does he use to motivate his players? How do you feel about him?

Journal Writing

Courtney is expelled from school for something he says he didn’t do.Write about a time when you were falsely accused or someone you know was falsely accused.

Chapter 15 – Get In Where You Fit In

1. How does the situation change at the high school after Courtney plays ball on Open Gym night?

2. Why didn’t people try to fix up their homes after the storm?

3. Why is Courtney not allowed to play ball at Helen Cox High School?

4. What offer comes from Gil Dorsey-Wagner ? How did he know about Courtney?

5. In what way does Courtney’s decision to move to California parallel hisinvitation to people on the bus to “get in where you fit in”?

Journal Writing

Courtney feels alive for the first time in weeks when he plays basketball. Describe something you love doing and tell how it makes you feel.

Chapter 16 – Oakland

1. What were some of Courtney’s concerns as he flew to Oakland?

2. Who does Courtney meet in the office of the Castlemont ? Why is he surprised?

3. Why does Courtney have such a hard time academically at Castlemont?

4. How did other people in Oakland step up to help him succeed? Why did they?

Journal Writing

Write about a time when other people helped you accomplish something important.

Chapter 17 – A College Education

1.What adjustments did Courtney have to make at City College?

2.What insights does Courtney begin to have about his father?

3. Describe Courtney’s tattoo and explain what it represents.

4. How does the marijuana incident make you feel about Courtney?

Journal Writing

Make a list of expectations you have about college. What aspects do you expect to be difficult and what parts do you expect to enjoy?

Chapter 18 – Alone Again

1. What is the devastating news Courtney learns about Jamie? How does he react?

2. Why doesn’t the author reveal Courtney’s conversation with Jamie after he learns that she’s betrayed him? How do you feel about that?

3. What does Courtney do to relieve his pain?

4. What is Courtney’s RIP list? Why does he keep it?

Journal Writing

Make a list of things you do to lift your spirits when you’re feeling down.

Extra Journal Writing Assigments

Write about people in your life who have functioned in parental roles who are not your biological parents.

Write about a time when you were tempted to join in an activity that you knew was wrong. How did you handle the situation?

Write about a time someone gave you good advice. Explain how you applied it and how it helped you in life.

Write about a time when you or someone you know performed a heroic deed.

Teachers, have you ever wanted to incorporate "choice" reading into your curriculum but were just too loaded up to figure out the logistics? I've put together my road-tested system from my 25+ years of teaching here on the blog.) I promise you it will make the set-up and grading for a "choice" or "independent" program SO much easier. And I'll be presenting at teacher and library conferences across the Southeast in the coming months with Perma-Bound School LIbrary Reps Kristen Ives and John Zeller to share this NotRequiredReading.com Step-By-Step program. (We'd love to come to your district!)

Here are the lists of books I recommend that are sure-fire tools to lure reluctant readers into the joy of reading. (Let me know if you have suggestions for additions. We're always looking for books that "hook.") And if you need some good test-data documentation to convince your administrators, there's a blog link here to a Nerdy Book Club post with a great success success story by some friends of mine, Dennis Jolley and Justin Jones, near Atlanta. Oh, and don't forget to follow the Nerdy Book Club on Twitter. It's a fabulous support network for teachers of all grades!

The books on this list with an asterisk are currenlty available through Perma-Bound.com at a discount for teachers. And you'll find reviews for many of them on our NotRequiredReading.com website, (along with hundreds of other reviews by students for students.)

If you'd like my annotated NRR list, the Book Interview Questions I use, or the Trailer Instructions and Trailer Grading sheets mentioned in the program, you can request them through my email at mcdowell.beck@gmail.com. Just drop me a quick note to let me know which you'd like and I'll send them as attachments you can print and use.

Getting teens to read was my most important mission as a teacher. When I realized how many of my high schoolers had NEVER read a book and bragged about passing tests on assigned classics by reading Spark notes and watching movies, I knew I had to act. We were losing them as readers, and once they left my class, my opportunity to change that would be lost. That's when I discovered the simple secret: CHOICE! If I wanted to teach kids the meaning of "reading for pleasure," I had to include young adult books in their assignments - books that were engaging, books they could relate to. Kids who've never read anything except the difficult assignments that are required for school don't understand what we're talking about when we say, "reading for pleasure." So I spent many years building a reading program that would help them become life-long readers. I'm happy to share the logistics of my program here, and I'll be traveling with Perma-Bound reps Kristen Ives and John Zeller to schools across the Southeast this fall to share tips and answer questions and getting kids to read. Also, you can visit the Perma-Bound website to find the books I recommend for reluctant readers, feature here on the blog - at a discount to you. Here's the step-by-step process I used:

The NotRequiredReading.com Program

Step By Step with Beck McDowell

1. Get administrators on board with the idea that aesthetic reading (for fun) is just as important as efferent reading (for information.) Reading practice improves skills and increases vocabulary and comprehension levels. Many high schoolers have NEVER read a book. They brag about reading Spark notes and watching movies to pass tests on assigned classics. If we convince them to read through offering them a CHOICE, we can turn them into lifelong readers.

2. Send out Parent Letter. When parents understand your motives, they’re more likely to support you. Invite their input and be open to questions. If a parent objects to a book (which happens very rarely,) remind them that the list is OPTIONAL and no student is required to read any book. Let them know they don’t get to control what other students read – only their own. Be firm but friendly.

3. Hand out the list to students. Explain that they’ll still be reading classics as a class, but they’re now required to read two “choice” books per grading period. They may also read other books by authors already on the list. They may opt to read books not on the list, but only with prior permission from the teacher.

4. Read the annotated list aloud and have them mark books that sound interesting to them. Suggest that they check out blurbs online for plot information and that they read a few paragraphs of the free sample chapter offered online to see if the writing style appeals to them. Remind them they don’t have to finish any book they don’t like.

5. Read aloud twice a week. Take 5-10 minutes to read from books on the list or others you bring in to entice reluctant readers. This is critical to the process. Some have no idea what’s inside a book.

6. Allow class time to read. Set at least aside one or two 10-20 minute reading sessions per week so you can monitor their progress. Use this time to assess levels of success by walking around and occasionally asking questions (very quietly) about the books they’re reading. Help the strugglers find good books. Encourage all with enthusiasm for reading and pride in their progress.

7. For grading, you have four options.

1. Book Trailers – see NRR instruction sheet and grading rubric. Grade leniently, but let them know points will be deducted for spelling, punctuation and requirements on instruction sheet. (One note: when students have used popular music in the past, YouTube has allowed it and provided a link to viewers to purchase the music. If they use copyrighted music, they do so at their own risk, but most musicians allow it for the promotional opportunity. Just make them aware of the possible penalties. Maybe YouTube will make a policy statement about this soon, but royalty-free music is the safest route for now.)

2. Participation Grades – monitor progress informally during class reading periods and grade accordingly. Be lenient. The goal is to make reading fun. But insist that everyone reads and show them point deductions when they don’t.

3. Book Interviews – If you prefer individualized assessment, choose several of the Not Required Reading discussion questions for oral “interview” assessment. Grades are 100 if they completed the book and 0 if it’s clear they didn’t finish by the deadline. If a student receives a 0, he may finish the book within three days for half credit, which is still a failing grade – but a “50” that can be pulled up more easily. Most students will finish after they realize how much a 0 affects averages.

4. Reviews for NRR and other sites - If you prefer written assessment (or for extra credit to those who choose to do it,) have students first read three reviews in credible sources like NYT, LAT, NPR, etc. Then have them write 500-700 words on the book they’ve just read – with special attention to originality, personal response, and avoiding spoilers. Reviews should not be just plot synopses.

8. Early Bird Incentives - For Book Interviews, try offering Early Bird Incentives to spread out your workload. When students earn 5 extra points by coming before the deadline (after school, between classes, or during lunch,) the teacher is not overwhelmed on deadline day. Some students will “read ahead,” finishing an entire semester of “choice” reading in one grading period. This is fine. Those kids will usually keep reading even after they’ve completed requirements for the year. (Remind everyone that this is a flexible assignment. If they have lots of other homework one night, they can skip reading, so long as they catch up on the weekend or when other work is slower. On slower homework nights, they can “read ahead” and possibly finish early.)

9. Extra Credit – Offer one extra “choic” book as the only extra credit allowed in your class. Make it worth their while points-wise. This is the very best incentive for reluctant readers who need to pull up a low test score or make up for missing homework assignments. Once you get them reading, lots will do this.

10. You/Guest Readers – Your own enthusiasm for reading is key to the success of this program. Let kids see you read and tell them about books you love. Also, invite other teachers, coaches, local celebrities or officials or sports stars to come and read to the class. Show them that reading is for everyone!

Thank you, faithful teachers! It’s not too late to entice even 11th and 12th graders to the idea of reading as a legitimate leisure activity of choice. Build a classroom library by buying at used bookstores and library cast-off stores, surround your students with exciting covers, talk about books, read to them, and give them time and grade incentive to read and you WILL see a HUGE difference! And write to me at mcdowell.beck@gmail> and let me know how it’s going! I’m happy to answer any questions you have as you move forward with Choice Reading.